severely disabled children – overwhelmed by the
terrible strain of looking after them – their tragic
deaths shocked the nation and inspired a wave of
sympathy for her and her family.
Four months ago she pleaded guilty on the
grounds of diminished responsibility to the
manslaughter of her three-year-old twin sons and
four-year-old daughter.
She was sentenced by an Old Bailey judge to be
detained in a psychiatric hospital until her
recovery was complete. Now The Mail on Sunday
can reveal that she has been allowed to return to
the family home where the killings took place.
At the court hearing in November, Mrs Clarence
was described as a loving and caring mother who
had smothered twins Max and Ben and daughter
Olivia while in the grip of a severe bout of mental
illness brought on by what Mr Justice Sweeney
called the 'unbearable pressure' of caring for
them.
Mrs Clarence's solicitor said it was one of the
saddest cases to come before the criminal courts.
Her client's plea was accepted by the prosecution
and the judge imposed a sentence known as a
Hospital Order.
He ruled that the 43-year-old
would need psychiatric treatment and therapy 'for
the foreseeable future' and would not be released
until she had recovered from her illness.
Last week she was photographed for the first
time at the house in New Malden, Surrey, where
the killings took place.
Wearing blue jeans and a
dark top and looking like any other mother on the
afternoon school run, she arrived at the £1.2
million detached property in a Hyundai people
carrier with a small suitcase on wheels and what
appeared to be a bag of shopping.
She was accompanied by another woman and a
young girl – thought to be her only surviving
child, who was eight years old when the terrible
events occurred last April.
All three went into the
seven-bedroom house and the unidentified
woman left half an hour later, driving off in a
silver Mazda.
Mrs Clarence declined to comment when she was
approached by a Mail on Sunday reporter but her
husband Gary,
when told that an article about the
family was being prepared for publication this
weekend, said: 'Okay, fine.'
The South African-born investment banker was on
a trip to his home country with their eldest
daughter when the killings took place. It is
understood that his wife was given a temporary
licence several weeks ago to leave the hospital
where she is being treated and has been returning
home on a regular basis at weekends.
Max, Ben and Olivia all had spinal muscular
atrophy, which is a devastating muscle-wasting
illness sometimes referred to as 'floppy baby
syndrome'. The surviving daughter does not have
the condition. Mrs Clarence, who was severely
depressed at the time, lied to the family nanny so
she could be alone with the three youngest
children while her husband and older daughter
were away.
After asphyxiating them in their beds, she made
what was described in court as a 'determined
effort' to kill herself.
The judge said the evidence of her diminished
responsibility for the children's deaths was 'clear
and convincing'. Psychiatrists had explained 'in
compelling detail' that her mental illness had
substantially impaired her ability to form a
rational judgment.
The judge said she was a dedicated and caring
mother who loved her children but had been
overwhelmed by the challenge of caring for them.
Last night the NHS trust responsible for Mrs
Clarence's treatment declined to comment on the
grounds of patient confidentiality. The hospital
where she is being treated also cannot be named
for legal reasons.
Up to 60 therapists, doctors, nurses and other
specialists had been involved with the family over
the years, sometimes arriving at the house
unannounced and leaving Mrs Clarence feeling
insecure and upset, the court was told.
She had frequently clashed with doctors over the
children's treatment and there was criticism
during the hearing of the way that health
professionals had dealt with the family.
It emerged that Mrs Clarence felt she was being
pressed into agreeing to intrusive operations and
medical procedures for the children that she
thought were inappropriate.
She and her husband were said to want to put
quality of life above longevity for Ben, Max and
Olivia but some medical experts in contact with
the family disagreed.
The standard of care and support the family
received is now the subject of a serious case
review by Kingston-upon-Thames Council. After
smothering the twins in their beds and
surrounding their bodies with toys, Mrs Clarence
wrote a letter to her husband telling him that she
also intended to kill Olivia.
'Gary, I need to tell you how difficult it is for me
to take Liv's life...The boys were bad enough. I
am struggling with Liv.
'I waited until the boys were asleep, the same
with Liv. If I could take my own life and leave her
to wait for you, I would.' Mr Clarence, 45, is
standing by his wife. He left the Old Bailey saying
the killings were 'a tragedy from which lessons
need to be learnt'.
He said at the time: 'Tania's depression was
certainly not assisted by the constant pressure
placed on the family by some individuals within
the medical profession and social services.'
The South African couple met at university in
Stellenbosch. She was training to be a graphic
designer. His family owns a hotel and conference
centre in Johannesburg.
As an adult Mrs Clarence had suffered from
depression – which also affected several of her
relatives. She had also been involved in an
'abusive' relationship with a longstanding
boyfriend before her marriage.
The Clarences moved to Britain 20 years ago and
settled in South-West London before moving to
New Malden, where they spent thousands of
pounds adapting the house to the needs of their
disabled children.
Imposing the Hospital Order at the Old Bailey in
November, Mr Justice Sweeney told Mrs Clarence:
'This was [not] a mercy killing in the sense in
which that phrase is normally used.
'The children did not ask to be killed and you did
not, and do not, seek to justify your actions as
being justified in mercy. What you did was the
product of your mental illness.'
(dailymail.co.uk)
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